(At my university, there are regularly events where different companies can come and students can inform themselves, e.g. to find a place for an internship or to see if they’d like to start working there. It’s only my second semester, so I’m really just informing myself and not looking for an internship yet. I study media informatics, which is basically a cross between computer sciences like programming and media design with more artsy subjects.)

Me: “Um, hi. Could you tell me a bit about your company? I’m studying media informatics and would like to know if I could work there.”

Worker: “Hmm, sorry, but we don’t really need someone with design.”

Me: “Oh, okay. Well, media informatics also has programming though?”

Worker: “No, sorry. Maybe in marketing, but I doubt it. We do have an IT department, but we need programmers, not designers.”

Me: “Well, in the higher semesters, we can decide to mostly focus on programming, like normal computer sciences.”

Worker: “As I said, maybe in marketing, but we don’t really need designers.”

Me: “I’m planning to focus on programming, though, not design.”

Worker: “Oh, hmm, I don’t know. Maybe. You can take a brochure with you, but I kind of doubt it.”

Me: “Okay… thanks anyway.”

(Please, if you’re there to inform students, actually LISTEN to what they tell you they do! Because that’s now definitely a company I won’t want to work for, be it IT or marketing.)